


Skipping the Preliminaries

by naiadwrites



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 09:39:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naiadwrites/pseuds/naiadwrites
Summary: Nubbin Fic - Nikola brings a creature as an offering for Helen. It has side effects.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I've never posted this here!

I was trapped at a museum without my computer, but fortunately with a pad of paper. Therefore, something that every Sanctuary smut writer must craft at some point – a Nubbin fic.

808008080808

Usually, when Helen Magnus awoke, her thoughts were clear as crystal. She spent a moment in meditation upon her day, then she climbed out of bed. Even for an immortal, time was too precious to be spent lounging in bed.

But this morning, Helen woke slowly, groggily. Her eyes remained shut as her first lazy thoughts centered on the state of her body. She ached all over, but it was a far different ache than what she would have acquired in a fight. She was no stranger to the occasional necessity of physical force, but these aches were of a very different nature. Her skin tingled. Her mouth tasted of blood, but as she moved her tongue over her teeth to check for wounds, there was nothing but her very bruised lips to accounts for that metallic tang. She had been well and thoroughly kissed. And bitten, from the sting she felt on her neck, her buttocks and her breasts. Her sex throbbed, giving every indication of a highly satisfactory encounter. But the lassitude she felt in every bone did not explain the slow, listless drag of her mind.

That she could not remember how she'd gotten into this state was troubling. Perhaps her partner could fill in the blanks. His arm rested across her stomach, their legs intertwined. He was curled into her, his head resting against her neck, the softness of his hair tickling her ear. His scent, that touch of spice and ozone, and she knew before she opened her eyes that she had finally lain with Nikola Tesla.

She fought against the glue that kept her eyes sealed, and she blinked several times to clear her vision. The afternoon light filtered in through her curtains, revealing herself and Nikola entwined, his body wrapped around hers as though he was scared to let go of her. It was an odd sensation. She have never awoken with a lover. Even with John so long ago, she had shooed him out of her chambers, unwilling to be caught with her fiancé in her bed. With other men, even with James, she'd left in the night, taking her pleasure and leaving before risking too much attachment.

She did not quite know what to think of her current situation, or her inability to move. She surveyed what she could see of Nikola without moving too much, the firm, wiry muscles of his arms and legs were beautiful, his skin pale against her own, stained with scratch marks and a livid bruise on one wrist. His bicep show three deep puncture marks, which should have healed. Despite the lack of coverings and the slightly cooler body temperature of a vampire, she was warm and comfortable and had no real desire to push away from him. She could credit that to whatever mind-altering substance remained in her system and her significant level of dehydration, but she was honest with herself enough to acknowledge some of it was due to finally being in Nikola's arms. She had imagined it gar too often, and if he ever realized how often, he would be insufferable about it.

She could not stand to think he had betrayed her like this. Her last clear memory was opening the front door to his smirking face. He'd lifted up some kind of crate and announced, "I come bearing gifts, sweet Helen. Won't you let me in?" After that, there were only flashes. Her lab, them in the hall kissing frantically, being shot at by Will and Kate, and then writhing on the bed, her teeth in Nikola's throat.

She could not believe that after trying to seduce her for a century, of playing countless games and leering quips at her but always ultimately acting the gentleman, that Nikola would deign to drug her in order to get into her knickers.

He stiffened slightly, and she knew he was waking. "Helen," he whispered against the skin of her collarbone, his lips dry and his voice rough. He lifted his head suddenly and looked straight into her eyes, his blue grey eyes holding a mix of wonder, awe and befuddlement, a thing rather seen on the great Tesla's face. Nary a trace of smug satisfaction to be seen. He had not a clue what had happened. He must be at least someone innocent. Especially given the enormous bruise and the curve of her teeth marks in his neck. He had to have been dosed with some chemical that slowed his healing. Actually, the very fact that he had been sleeping, something that was entirely optional as a vampire, was a sign that both of them were under the influence.

"Helen, I always knew you would be utterly breathtaking first thing in the morning." He reached a hand up to stroke her cheek and she smiled.

"Actually, I'm fairly certain it's the middle of the afternoon." His hair was a mess, his smile was boyish, his lips still swollen and there was a trace of blood at the corner of them. She wanted to kiss him so badly it was almost painful to resist. "Nikola, what happened?"

He took a long, slow look down at their entangled bodies and again she thought she really should pull away from him and find something to cover herself. But she didn't. The litany of bruises and love bites and scratched that covered both of them told quite the erotic tale. But there was also those puncture holes in his bicep and her leg and Helen was fairly certain belonged to a sedative dart.

"I should think that what happened would be fairly obvious, my love. But as I have no memory of anything past bringing that creature to your lab, and I believe that the memory of the past night would be something I will do my absolute utmost to recover."

"My memory ends with letting you in the front door. An endeavor which is always somewhat hazardous to my sanity. What creature, might I ask?"

He smiled sardonically and pushed himself up on his elbow. He looked down on her and grimaced slightly, looking again at the wounds they both wore. "I'm sorry Helen. I ever wanted…when it happened I wanted it to be gentle, to show you…this was savage."

"The creature?" she asked again. She needed to distract him. A Nikola mired in guilt was not a Nikola functioning at peak performance. She fought a blush. Besides, given the welts and scratched he bore, she'd given as good as she'd got.

His mouth twisted wryly. "I was in Mexico City, wrapping up some stray ends before I came here to…" he broke off, and she could see him rebuilding mental walls. "I saw this creature, quite obviously an abnormal, in a small marketplace in a woebegone corner of the city. Not even a black market, imagine that."

"What did they tell you about it when you purchased it?"

"They knew very little, other that it was very rare and it had been found in Chiapas. At the time, the thing was in some kind of hibernation cycle, so I did not get to interview the little rodent. But I thought you might be interested in its rescue."

"I doubt it is a rodent, Nikola, and I do appreciate your intentions." If he was telling the truth. "It must be related to a nubbin."

"What in God's name is a nubbin?"

She sighed, remembering one too many odd encounters with the creatures. "For that, we'll have to get dressed and go down to the lab. See if this thing caused any more havoc!"

"Wait Helen." He grazed the side of her neck with one finger and she sighed with sudden bliss. It should have hurt, given that he must have fed from her there, but instead a bolt of pure pleasure streaked through her.

"Oh Helen, I'm so…this is serious. It's a…"

And she knew. "It's a mating bite. Yes, I've heard of them in what records my father kept. During intercourse these things would happen. I will not…"

He looked desperate for her to understand, "No, Helen. From all that I've read, all the legends and inscriptions, this was very rare. It wasn't just something done automatically during sex. Vampires after all were highly sexualized creatures and this was something…it was highly prized, honored above all else. This was the closest thing they had to marriage, if it was completed."

She blinked at him. "Completed?"

"It would scar, unlike any other wound on a vampire. A mark of possession. At least, if both of a mated pair willed it to be so. There must have been some enzyme released or…"

She traced her hand up his chest and stroked the mark at the base of his neck, the teeth marks still deep purple in his skin, whereas all his other wounds were healing fairly rapidly. Not instantly- there was still some agent in his system, but this one mark was obviously different.

"Apparently, I have enough of the Source blood left in system to render my bite good enough."

He gasped as she stroked her mark again, and his eyes looked strangely hopefully, then sad once again.

He chuckled. "This is rather like a bad film in which a man finds himself married in a seedy hotel room in Las Vegas after a truly epic battle with tequila."

She laughed, "At least I'm not some floozy intent on stealing your fortune. You never could hold on to money."

"I'm rather well off, I'll have you know. But thank goodness you're not some vile stranger." He cupped her cheek again, infinitely tender. "You are the woman I've always loved."

She didn't think. She simply threaded her fingers through that ridiculous hair and pulled him down to her, kissing him soundly, the mouth opening and luring his tongue to duel with hers.

For all that this was the first kiss should could remember giving him willingly, they seemed to know each other so well, heads cocked at the perfect angle, tongues stroking and lips working with the perfect pressure. He moved over her, his weight welcome, one hand cupping the back of her neck and the other at her hip. She could feel his cock half hard against her thigh and her legs parted without conscious thought, welcoming his body into the cradle of hers. His fingers strayed from her hips, brushing over her dark blonde curls. His thumb circled her clit and she sighed, pleasure fighting against the aches and pains and demanding that she give in to anything he wanted.

He broke the kiss, pulling away with eyes swirling black. "You are too sore for this. And I won't…not until you and I both are in full possession of our faculties."

"Always the gentleman, Nikola. I agree. Water and food and answers would be best."

"And then?" he grinned at her, and there was the smug satisfaction at having finally won her over.

"And then, we'll discuss a real wedding night."


	2. Chapter Two

Nikola was not precisely sure whether or not he was dreaming. Though it felt pretty damn real, what with the scrapes on his previously invulnerable body and the tooth marks throbbing on his neck – Helen's! Helen's teeth in his neck! - He hadn't been this happy in…no, there was nothing to compare, not even the ultimate victory of alternating current. Helen as his mate, it was too wonderful to believe. Even with the bizarre circumstances and the frustrating lack of memory, it was too good to be true. Therefore, he hedged his bets. Instead of slowly, thoroughly ravishing his Helen when she obviously would have let him, he played the gentleman and let her heal. Whatever had happened the night before, she had been thoroughly taken. He wish he could remember it, for he had no doubt that it would have been magnificent, and his mind was already whirring through all his repository of neuroscience knowledge to contemplate ways of digging the memories back out of his subconscious. But, there were easier avenues to explore first. And he still had a naked Helen to ogle.

For all that he did not wish to cause her pain, he would not miss the opportunity to look at the miles of her golden skin. Although he felt some guilt for the pain behind each scratch and bruise on her lovely body, part of him relished each mark. She was his, at last! And the bite mark on her dapper derriere was proof positive, along with the match set on her breasts. Giving her one last toe-curling kiss, he'd rolled away from temptation, alighting from the sumptuous comfort of her bed - dare he say, their bed from now on – with something less than his usual grace. He was certain that he'd been pumped full of some sedative, and he counted at least six healing puncture wounds on his own body, and two on Helen's. He would make certain that unless there was a very good explanation, whichever of the children had shot him full of drugs would suffer some small torment and soon.

His eyes were drawn back to Helen as she slowly sat up, blinking her eyes and blatantly staring at him. He grinned, noting the high color in her cheeks as her eyes perused him from toes to nose, stopping for a long, luscious moment at the erection he did not try to hide. Oh yes, they would have some fun – later. He was beginning to hate later.

"Water Helen. You need it. Water, food and answers. Perhaps a bit of patching up in that infirmary of yours. Once the damn drugs are out of our system, then we can play."

She licked her dry lips, and his cock jumped in response. Damn it, he really hated later.

She wrenched her eyes away from his body and stared at the floor, and he could not keep himself from the smug smirk that sprung to his lips. Serves her right, after plaguing him with hundred and thirty years of desperate lust – she could suffer for a bit before achieving satisfaction. But not too long. A man could only be patient for two lifetimes before getting a mite desperate.

"Oh dear, we did rather overdo things, didn't we?"

He dragged away his frank appraisal of her heavy breasts, swaying enticely as she shook her head, and glanced toward the floor where her gaze rested.

His favorite suit was a complete and utter loss. But it had likely been a valiant sacrifice in the name of achieving glory. On the plush dark carpet, mere scraps of silk and merino wool remained of his St. Laurent suit. Much more interesting was the black lace that lay silhouetted against the pale cream of what had been the blouse he remembered Helen wearing the morning he'd arrived. Ah, finally an answer to the question of the decade – what did the stunning, implacable Helen Magnus wear in the 21st century under those sexy librarian clothes - plain white cotton? No. He was very very pleased with that black lace. Must get to that La Perla website and shop, now that he knew she actually might wear something straight from his fantasies.

"And the door as well. Good thing I invested in solid oak." She laughed, the heady sound filled him with a strange kind of joy.

His eyes traveled from the scant remains of their garments to the very solid wood of her bedroom door, which now had a fair number of splinters and dents in the once polished surface. Not to mention the claw marks. What could he do but laugh? "Oh, sweet Helen, we really will have to recover those memories, ljubavi."

He watched as she swung her legs off the bed and tried to stand, but once she flinched at the first step he stepped forward, pushing her just enough to send her sprawling back against the bloody silk sheets. "Stay here, Helen. Allow me to play the gentleman. I'm not half bad at it when I try."

He turned and glided to the bathroom, the memory of her amused astonishment etched in his mind's eye. It was a palatial room, he would expect no less, done in soft greens and warm marble. The enormous tub was definitely big enough for two, and if they did not have such pressing questions to be answered he would draw them a bath and carry her into the tub, settling both of them in to soothe away the hard-earned aches of passion with the hot water. As it stood, he filled a glass with tap water and then ran a hand towel under a warm stream of water. He carried both back to his lady, where she still lay on the be resting on her elbows, still sumptuously nude and unashamed of it, her eyebrows arching in question and that perfect sparkle in her eyes.

"Water, for my best girl." He proffered the glass and she drank, her eyes closing and he watched the muscles in her neck working, his eyes trailing down to the scar that marked her as his mate. The elation in his very blood at the thought was headier than James's blasted cocaine. The implications were colossal, and he had no idea how much Helen might truly understand of such a bond. Vampires were not a highly fertile race, evolution deeming that virtually immortal creatures should not overpopulate the planet with a hundred children apiece. The exception was a mated pair, who could have as many children as any human couple could, if a bit farther apart. Even now, Helen might bear their offspring, and again he had to push away tears at the thought of her heavy with his child, healing somewhat from the wounds to her shining soul from the loss of Ashley.

"Nikola, is something wrong?" She looked so concerned, those blue eyes staring into his brought him back to that still blissful reality of a naked Helen and a warm washcloth.

"Absolutely nothing. Well, except for that pesky memory loss. Best to ignore that for the moment."

He brought the cloth up into her vision before smoothing it over her knee. It was best to warn a woman like Helen Magnus before touching her, lest you get slapped, or shot, for your troubles. That kind of wariness was not about to disappear overnight, no matter what the night entailed. But she simply smiled, and he wondered if her acquiescence was due to enjoyment of his caresses or the lingering events of whatever cocktail they'd been dosed with.

He decided to simply enjoy being able to touch her, and caressed her skin with the cloth, washing away sweat and blood and reveling in the firm muscles of her calves, the length of her thighs, the slight feminine roundness of her stomach. Her arms were graceful, meant to hold a lover close, her elegant neck only enhanced by the scar of his mark. She was moaning softly by the time he swirled the cloth over her breasts, washing away the small streaks of blood from the love bites near her nipples. With each touch she began to pant, and he could resist temptation no longer as he bent to capture one sweet pink tip in his mouth.

Her fingers threaded through his scalp, and his hips rolled with the visceral pleasure of it. His cock was at full mast and rubbing against her leg, but she was pulling him closer rather than pushing him away. He moved the cloth down her stomach, pressing the warm wetness between those long legs. She moaned in response to his washing, and he wondered what sounds she would make if and when he used his tongue to bathe her sex. Switching his mouth to her other hardened nipple, he dropped the barrier of the wash cloth and pressed his fingers to her erect clit, rubbing small tight circles that made her arch her hips and start to curse vividly. He curled his fingers toward the plump lips of her sex, but he could sense the difference between swollen with passion and bruised. This was enough for now.

"Oh bloody…Nikola!" she panted his name as her hips bucked and she came on his fingers. He sucked hard on her nipple and sent the faintest spark of electricity through his fingers, making her shriek and convulse again, her nails digging painfully into his scalp. Completely worthwhile. God, but he loved having all his power back.

Before he could become any more smug, she was pushing him over, her legs trapping his thighs and her hand wrapped a bit too tight around his cock. Her face hovered next to his, her lips against his ear. She stroked his cock and he practically whimpered, so unbecoming - but what could he do, he was very much at her mercy and ecstatic to be so.

"I'm ninety eight percent certain that you did not drug me to get into my bed."

His heart clenched at once again being suspected, but he had to admit, he'd given her enough trouble over the years that he was surprised she'd given him even ninety eight percent of her trust. He opened his mouth to respond and he kissed him instead. She drew back before he could deepen the kiss and looked him straight in the eye, her hand moving faster on his cock, and he feared he would explode like an untried boy in her capable hand.

"Even if it proves that you have been so damn manipulative as to drug the both of us, I'm not precisely sure I care. I quite enjoy being able to finally touch you." She bent to her mark on his neck and sank her teeth into it once again, and he growled as he came, spurting white seed all over her hand as the most incredible orgasm rocketed through his nervous system.

When he recovered his senses she was curled around him, her cheek resting on his shoulder, her thigh atop his. She was licking the fingers of her hand, licking his essence from those beautiful fingers, and he was almost completely certain that he was dreaming. It was just too incredibly perfect.

"So much for attempting to wait for food and answers. I'm still quite famished." Her voice was filled with a ripe smugness that he found utterly intoxicating.

"At least I brought you water. That's something, isn't it?"

She pushed up on her elbow and looked into his eyes, her face remarkably playful. "The mark of a true gentleman. However, I do think we might need to extricate ourselves from this room sometime before nightfall. I would like to see if the rest of my team survived the chaos. I seem to remember flashes of the two of us roughing them up a bit."

He had some similar memories, including shoving the wolf-boy halfway across a room when he'd attempted to pull Helen away from his kiss, and taunting the dark human girl with claws extended. "Yes, best to assess the damage I suppose." He snuggled into her body, wrapping one hand around the small of her back and caught hold of her other hand where it rested on his chest. He really didn't want to move.

"That means getting off the bed, Nikola. And into some clothes."

He almost perked up at that. "Oh, does that mean I get to dress you, ljubavi? After all, since I don't remember undressing you, it's only fair." He sat up, leaving Helen laying on the bed laughing, as he darted toward her closet. Best to be quick lest she once again nip his plans in the bud.

First, a quick inspection of the drawers of a dresser resulted in him discovering her lingerie drawer. He was rather amazed he hadn't previously managed to snoop out its contents, but he supposed there was a limit to his desperation. Or he simply did not wish to risk his life for the outer coverings when what he really wanted lay warm and soft within.

But with a matching set of bra and panties in a soft blue lace that matched her eyes, he knew he would be picturing taking the set off of her for the entire day, whatever other discoveries they made. He strode out with it and held it up in victory and she laughed again. He knew that if he tried to put them on her, he would simply succumb to the temptation of her body once again, so he threw them at her and returned to the closet, perusing her wardrobe for something that would cover the damage still evident on her body. Certainly, he wanted to proclaim her as his with those beautiful marks, but he'd rather do it when there wouldn't be guns pointed at him upon the revelation. Short sleeve turtleneck in a soft yellow cotton, black linen trousers, and a thin cashmere cardigan in brown. He returned to the bedroom as she stood on wobbly legs at the bedpost. She was fastening her bra, her chest thrust out and her arms behind her. Oh yes, he would love to have her tied up sometime.

"You look lovely in blue. Brings out those eyes of yours perfectly."

She wrinkled her nose and reached for the clothes he held, she examined each piece and furrowed her brow. "Hmm, wonders never cease. I applaud your taste, Nikola."

"I've always been fashionable."

"Except for that blasted mustache. I was terribly thrilled when you removed the thing."

He smiled. He'd always known she'd hated it. Best to be prepared to try to win her kisses once Johnny was revealed as quite criminally insane.

"Now, unfortunately I do not think I've anything that would fit you. Can we try to resurrect any of that?"

He stooped to pick up the sorry remains of his wool trousers, and held up the pieces. The waistband was torn through, with no hope of holding together.

"I've got it!" He swept back into her bath and collected the black silk robe from a hook on the wall. He slid his arms into it and though it ended just above his knee, he was mostly covered if he managed to keep from getting too excited. Except for that remarkably vivid and wonderful bite mark on his neck. But he really didn't mind showing that off to all and sundry.

Once again she laughed as he returned, posing in the doorway to show off his attire.

"I think you look better in that robe than I do, Nikola. Shall I bequeath it to you?"

"I don't plan on needing many clothes in this room, Helen. And I doubt you will either."

She tilted her head as she pulled on her trousers, challenge clear in her eyes. "We'll see, Nikola. We'll see."


	3. Chapter Three

She has to admit that she enjoys the way Nikola looks at her. She always has. It is pleasant to know that now he knows what she looks like nude, that he still stares at her with undisguised want in his eyes. Fortunately she's always been better than he is at disguising the blatant nature of her own desires. Otherwise he might singe at the heat of her thoughts of how he looks in that damn robe. It was far too short, showing off a hint of the powerful thighs. He must still swim often, with the excellent condition of his body. Lean and lithe and…

Bloody hell. She needed to focus.

"I don't remember what the creature you brought as a supposed gift looked like, other that it was small enough to fit in that packing case. Given the type of effects, any conjectures?"

He leaned against the bedpost and watched her as she spent far too long buttoning a cardigan that did not need to be buttoned. He looked far too comfortable in her bedroom. "Well, it's not a nubbin. I know what Nubina atelerix looks like Helen. I never forget a test subject. This was not going invisible at every chance, nor was it quite so irritating. I even found the darn thing rather cute."

"Oh Nikola, you found some creature other than a pigeon worthy of affection! Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

"Well, I feel it time to start appreciating the attractive qualities of small mammals. It would be a handy skill if I ever plan on being a father, wouldn't you say?"

Helen blinked, turning away toward her dressing table and trying to shove down the sudden image of Nikola smiling while holding an infant with a wild tuft of light brown hair and ice blue eyes. Where on earth had that come from? She'd never…well, she, she had thought of it, but only in the long blackness of a sleepless night. She picked up a silver brush and began the task of freeing her hair from the knot gained during whatever trouble they'd gotten into the night before. Evasion seemed the best strategy.

"Nubbin pheromones only work on normal humans. If it was in fact the abnormal that caused just a strong reaction in the two of us, then it was definitely not the original nubbin variant."

"You're the biologist, Helen. If I have to muck about with living things, I prefer the parts that end up on a microscopic slide."

She ran the brush through her hair and realized that the was out of excuses to stay in the room with Nikola. It was very tempting to stay here and avoid all the problems lying in wait outside this little sanctuary. Oh dear…William would have a field day if he ever heard thoughts like those pass her lips. She really did want Nikola, didn't she? And if she was truly honest with herself…

"Well, fair lady, shall we see what awaits us outside? That way we can fix it and return sooner rather than later?" He gave her a wide open grin, not even a hint of a smirk, and she wondered why she'd been fighting him for so long. Oh, that's right, sixty years without a bloody word. Hmph. Best let him suffer a bit more.

"Go ahead, Dobby. Open the door like a good house elf."

"Oh, you think I don't read, do you? Quite an enjoyable book. And no, I did not take a liking to Voldemort, thank you very much. But I am no house elf, even if you seem to want to refuse to let me keep any clothes in your room! What will you have me in next, a tea towel?" He leaned closer, his lips an inch from her ear. "You know now Helen, that's far too small to cover anything vital."

She repressed a shiver. "Open the bloody door, Niko."

"Ah, a new name. I like it. Easier to scream in bed." He opened the door, and when she had thought their problems lay outside the door to her suite, she did not think that they literally lay outside the door.

Will, Kate, and Henry all sat on the floor against the wall opposite her door, apparently unconscious, with Bigfoot lounging in a chair close by, with one eye open and staring straight at she and Nikola.

"Guh, guh. Hello Helen. Good afternoon. I could not convince them to retire to their own rooms. If this keeps up, you are going to have to put in some soundproofing. I believe they are all scarred for life." He stood, the thump of his chair hitting the wall knocked the others into some semblance of wakefulness. "I'll go make dinner. Guh guh. You need food." He took two steps down the hall. "And put the sheets in the bin. I'll order more." He gave what passed for a hassled sigh and continued his escape, leaving Helen blushing positively ruby red.

Nikola began to laugh. "Oh, I think he's starting to like me. I know I like him!"

Helen looked back at her team. They all actually looked rather sweet. Will was twitching his nose, his hands in his lap and a finger loosely curled around a tranquilizer gun. Poor thing was a terrible shot, who on earth gave him a gun? Kate was really rather lovely fast asleep. She had a rather lurid bruise on one cheek, and the other cheek was nestled into Henry's hair. Henry was absolutely wrapped around Kate, his head on her shoulder, his arms holding her tightly. His shirt was ripped, indicating he must have at least partially transformed, but he looked utterly boyish and content.

Nikola clapped his hands loudly, and Helen looked at him with mild irritation. "All right boys and girl, nap time is over. Mommy and Daddy are done with playtime and it's time for school."

Kate opened her eyes and her hand went for her gun, but Henry was in the way, still fast asleep. Will jerked awake, trying to lift up the gun but dropping it on the floor, a dart exploding from the gun and burying itself in the cherry wood molding.

"Oh, Dr Expendable, that's coming out of your paycheck I'm afraid."

"Shut up, Nikola. They've obviously been through a bit of a trial because of us." Helen knelt next to Henry, taking his pulse and tapping on his cheek lightly. Kate made no effort to push him away, which was an interesting development in and of itself, and Henry blinked slowly up at Helen.

"Hiya Doc. What's up?"

Kate snorted. "Hank went nuts with whatever made you and Vlad here go all extreme kissyface. Not as fast, since he didn't catch the blast wave like you two did, but the guy was running in circles once Tesla threw him across the room."

"Oh dear. No permanent damage I hope."

"Other than I found out that Hank seems to have taken a liking to me now that the English wolf girlfriend is out of the picture, no, no permanent damage. How about you and Tesla?" Kate gave Helen a wide smile. "You two were going at it hot enough to light this whole place on fire. And boy, could he make you scream! The boys wanted to bust down the door, but I can tell a good scream from a bad scream, and those were some damn happy screams."

Helen was embarrassed, yes, but she was also smugly satisfied. If only she could bloody well remember what had happened! "Yes, well, unfortunately neither Nikola or I can remember much after his entry into the Sanctuary. What exactly were you shooting at us anyway?"

"That wasn't my idea. I figure if the two of you got it into your heads to resolve the sexual tension that drips off of you, that I didn't need to get in the way of that. Will insisted though, and Henry was too distracted by sniffing at me to put up much protest. Hank and Will did the shooting, I just went along to observe the chaos."

"Phenobarbital and ketamine." Will piped in, his voice hoarse. There was a significant bruise on his throat, and Helen wondered whether she or Nikola had been responsible.

Helen stood and crossed her arms. "Ah, that would explain some of the memory loss – though not all of it. And if I took two shots, I should have been out within two minutes. From the looks of it I did not succumb until much later."

"Desire beats out the drugs Helen. And you must admit, we did seem to really want each other." Nikola pressed a hand against the small of her back and she couldn't help but welcome the touch, smiling at it and seemingly unable to draw down the mask she wore as the head of the Sanctuary Network.

"Whoa, Vlad, that is some serious bruising on your neck. Impressive work, Helen!" Kate laughed and got to her feet with an easy grace, pulling at a still wobbly Henry who smiled groggily. "At what's with the Hugh Hefner look?"

"My clothes were shredded into tiny little ribbons. It was this or nothing." Nikola smirked.

Kate smirked right back, "I don't know, nothing might have been something to see."

Helen interrupted, not admitting that she didn't like the flirty direction of the conversation. "Yes well, we'd best get Nikola some clothes, and perhaps start looking for the abnormal who did this?"

"No, we got him, doc." Henry scratched the back of his neck, tearing his eyes from Kate. "Big Guy said he got him trapped in a containment box in the lab. Unless he's chewed through it he could still be there."

"Any thoughts about what exactly happened?"

"Other than the fact that you and Tesla obviously are highly attracted to each other once inhibitions are lowered and wondering what the psychological ramifications are that you've acted on those impulses, I have no idea what happened. Some kind of pheromone reaction I suppose." Will bit out, obviously in a pissy mood.

"And instead of examining the creature, you've all been sleeping on the floor outside my bedroom, waiting for us to come out, and going over conjecture on the impact of my love life? Really?" Helen was not too thrilled will her team's performance, but their interest in her private life was beyond the pale.

"Magnus, why are your eyes turning black?" Will swallowed nervously and backed up toward the wall, his eyes moving between Helen and Tesla with the gears of his mind visibly working.

Nikola took her chin between his fingers and turned her toward him, staring into her eyes with utter focus. Then he smiled wide enough to reveal those long canines, a smile full of dangerous excitement. She shivered to shake off the arousal that flared though in her belly.

"Smile Helen, I want to see if your teeth are sharper."

"What are you talking about Nikola?" she ran her tongue over her teeth and flinched at the sting of slicing a deep cut into her tongue. "Ouch! What the…" Her teeth were slightly longer, and definitely sharper than they had been a minute ago. She looked down at her hands to see her nails had grown slightly longer and much darker in color.

"Breathe, Helen. Take a deep breath and focus on the sound of my voice."

She remembered long logn ago, when Nikola had first displayed his vampire nature. He'd been locked in restraints, but she'd sat with him, coaching him until he calmed enough against the anger and fear and bloodlust to return to his human visage. She'd used almost the same words. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, finding comfort in the love shining there. It couldn't be anything else. She felt her teeth return to normal, and looked down at her hands to see their normal, practical manicure in place.

"Helen, my dear, I think exposure to my revamped blood has some very interesting side effects on you. I'm looking forward to exploring them in depth."

Will gasped. "What exposure to your blood? What exactly were you doing in there? I thought you couldn't turn anyone into a vampire without extensive genetic manipulation!"

Nikola fixed Will with a look of complete distain and fierce possession. "That's not your place to ask about our activities, protégé, however much you wish you were in my place."

Helen put a hand up to stop the argument before it could really start. "Enough! Let's just say that Nikola and I apparently enacted an old vampire ritual, prompted by the Source blood."

"In other words, we're married." Nikola grinned at this. "Gifts and congratulations can be put off until we figure out exactly what prompted this fortuitous event."

"Married!" Will squeaked. Kate just began to laugh and Henry furrowed his brow and tried to shake off the last of his befuddlement.

"Doc, what? No time for a ceremony, or was I asleep a hell of a lot longer than my watch says?"

"Nikola, why was it necessary to couch things in precisely those terms?"

"Well, you are my mate now. Best they get used to the fact of my presence around here for the very long term. As in, forever." He took both her hands in his and pulled her toward him, and kissed her softly, and Helen could not quite find it within her to resist.

"What the hell is going on? Are you two still under the influence of that sonic blast? You didn't get married, and if you did then you'd better figure out how to get a vampire divorce!" Really, Will could be rather annoying at times.

"There's no such thing as a vampire divorce, boy." Nikola's voice echoed will those deep vampiric tones as his eyes flashed to black in anger. "Helen is mine and you'd best learn to cope or leave."

"Silence!" Helen yelled out. "This is getting us nowhere. I want to see the creature, and then we can discuss all the ramifications of what has occurred." But she didn't extract her hand from Nikola's.


	4. Chapter Four

Nikola sent once last sneer over his shoulder at the protégé before following Helen, who was still holding his hand. Remarkable. He still seethed though. That boy needed to be cured of his little infatuation. Every protégé fell for Helen, who could resist? He himself had once been the younger man, some four years younger than her at Oxford, but he'd been attracted to her intelligence and grace and lost his heart at her smile. But unlike all the rest, he'd stayed the course, loving her for longer than a lifetime.

So, see if he helped out the little twit again in finding a more suitable romantic partner. Though it had been quite fun popping those button of that cute little idiot William seemed to find so charming. Once Helen was securely and firming his, the protégé might wake up from dreamland and woo his own woman. Helen was Nikola Tesla's. Helen Tesla? No, she'd no doubt keep her name…

"Nikola, pay attention!"

Oh no, that tone, what had he done now? Nikola blinked for a moment, found himself much farther down the corridor, looking at a scene of a minor melee. "I'm sorry Helen, I was distracted by contemplation of your…well, I know too much now, don't I? I expect I shall be distracted in my thinking for quite some time." He leered at his mate and instead of rebuffing him as was the habit for time immemorial, she actually blushed. Why had they left the bedroom?

"Really Nikola, focus, please. Do remember any other this?"

All he could remember was the fire of her kiss, and it wasn't helping him to keep the damn robe from threatening to reveal far too much to those others present in the room. He swallowed thickly and tried to mimic James, for once observing his environment rather than attempting to implement any grand plans.

The hallway stood testament to a confrontation complete with more wood splinters, darts embedded in the walls, small scale blood splatter and broken glass and ceramic. One piece blue and white porcelain was turned to reveal a clear "made in China" emblem.

"Imitations, Helen! Have you lost your fortune so soon?" He grinned at her, unable to stop teasing her, for he did so love her reactions to him.

She laughed softly, raising an eyebrow. "No Nikola, I'm merely a pragmatist. Having the décor trashed every few months leads one to refrain from the destruction of priceless antiques." She pulled him a little closer and placed a hand on his chest. "I have my originals where they count most."

Oh, how every statement was blissfully loaded with sexual innuendo. "Well then, I applaud your decorator. I never would have suspected a fake without this current bout of havoc." He bent toward her lips, wanting another kiss, but the world must break in, alas.

"How exactly are you two married now? I remember hitting and kissing and a fair amount of growling and screaming from both of you guys…" Heinrich stops and blushes, but he does carry on, proving more mental strength than Nikola had given the pup credit for in the face of combined glares from both he and Helen. "But I didn't see a vamp-friendly justice of the peace come in to officiate."

Wolf-boy should ask in about three…two…one…

"Was it some Source-blood thing again?"

And a nice canned answer should fend off that argument. "What Helen and I have is deeper and more profound than any mere legal construct."

Helen heaved a long suffering sigh and Nikola decided that for once discretion was the better part of valor.

"Regardless of our status, what happened here? Can any of you children give us more than a few embarrassing details? Someone obviously shot at us with those blasted sedative darts, and from the condition of this sideboard someone was sitting on it and didn't want to be moved." There were deep ridges on the edge of the wooden table, scratched from someone of impressive strength but not from his own claws.

Helen was examining her own nails and Nikola smiled. What a woman!

Kate stepped forward, as the two boys were clearly uncomfortable. "You two decided to pick up where you left off in the main lab, as apparently it was too difficult to wait to get to a bedroom. When we got here, Magnus was sitting on the table, the vase and that pot were broken on the floor, and you had her blouse half open and your hand up her skirt. She was faster, and got your vest-thingy and your shirt open and half off of you."

"Kate, I think we don't need quite that level of detail!" Helen chimed in, biting her lip in irritation.

"He wanted embarrassing details, I give you embarrassing details. Anyway, Will had given up the talking since it didn't work in the lab, and decided to shoot first and ask questions later. He missed once and got you in the back of the leg. Didn't even slow you down. After getting chewed out by Will and practically humped by Hank…"

"Oh man, really? I'm so sorry, I didn't…"

"Yeah, yeah, save it Hank. Who's to say I minded anyway?" Kate grinned at the confused HAP and Nikola repressed his own chuckle. The girl did have spunk, and a fine attitude.

"And then what happened, Kate?" Ah Helen, always trying to keep her team on track.

"Well, I can actually aim and hit out I shoot, so I put two rounds in each of you. I was pretty sure that would be enough to take down a horse, but all it did was to stop Nik's trip to your promised land and have him flash those scary ass claws at me. You then proceeded to swear at me in Hindi better than my grandma ever could and I decided that I wasn't going to interfere anymore. Then Vlad swung his Mina over his shoulder and headed off to your bedroom, with Will taking shots at his back. Other than some more growling and an impressive bit of lightning work that probably burnt out all the lights in this hallway, your door slammed shut and it was nothing but moans and screams and me trying to convince the guys that it would not be a good idea to barge in."

Nikola clapped softly. "Thank you, Ms. Freelander. I think she deserves a raise, don't you Helen? Excellent clear thinking under pressure. I won't even retaliate for the damn darts."

Helen was staring up at the ceiling and obviously trying to maintain her composure. "Nikola, I think you'd better get on some clothes, and the rest of us should get down to the lab to look at this creature and run some tests."

Nikola did not like being dismissed. Helen turned to him as though reading his mind, "I'll expect you to follow as soon as your decent, Niko."

Oh, the nickname. That gave him all kinds of interesting visions. "I'm never decent, Helen. I thought you knew that by now. I'm always extraordinary."

"Get on with it! I'll see you in a moment." She learned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, leaving him a bit flabbergasted as she moved on down the corridor, flashing flash marks on the wallpaper, her team on her heels.

He could get used to such kisses. But as his love and her entourage turned a corner and left him standing alone, he felt consumed with a fear that it would all fade. That she'd talk herself out of it. She'd told him of some of her more harrowing encountered with altered or future realities, and he was terrifying of being lumped in with them as some strange life lesson. He was her mate, not some parable!

He actually turned around and ran, he who ran nowhere for nobody, he ran back to his quarters on the opposite end of the hall from Helen's. His clothes were still there, all the things she'd bought him to lure him into staying in the past. He never asked, but the clothes appeared just the same, and she'd not had the removed. The room was free from dust, as though it had merely been awaiting his eventual return.

He'd made the decision to fight for her. To come to her Sanctuary and stay permanently, until he won her over or she kicked him out. He'd been in Mexico City to clear up some old debts, to make sure no one and nothing would plague him and the new tact he'd chosen for his life. If he no longer wished to bring back the great vampire race, then the only great task before him was to win the love of Helen Magnus, and help her in any way she needed him.

It seems that somehow they'd managed to skip all the preliminaries he'd imagined, and ended up mated for life before he could implement a proper courtship. They never had done things the conventional way, had they?

He ran into the bathroom, scrubbing down in an ice cold shower as fast as he could whip a washcloth over his skin. He hadn't wanted to wash the scent of Helen from him, but he also didn't want to stink and put her off of engaging in a repeat performance of earlier activities. A quick dry and he sprang into the closet, yanking on a pair of khaki slacks and a blue oxford, cursing himself for not buttoning faster. Shoes on his feet, he ran out the door, his hair a wild tangle, sans underwear or socks. Time away from Helen seemed unbearable, and not even his normal obsessive neatness could counter the need to be in her presence.

He stopped a few meters from the entrance to the lab, pulling in air and calming his breathing so that he didn't look so ridiculously desperate. He ran his hands though his hair, attempting to give it some order, and then he calmly opened the door leading to the observation room, trying to appear perfectly nonchalant.

Helen was completely placid, studiously blank and she looked through thick Plexiglas to where Kate stood, handling the green-furred little creature that was the cause of all the ruckus with apparent ease. The protégé was hovering over Helen's should, as usual, and he could hear his whispering. "…known him forever, Magnus, but you still cannot trust him. Who knows what he wants to use you for, or gain access to your money or the resources of the Sanctuary Network. Now that he's a vampire again he could…"

Nikola could stand no more, "Really, Huggybear, I thought you would have waiting at least a full five minutes out of my presence before accusing me of dastardly motives. I can assure you, I see no need to have access to Helen's monetary or political assets. I have my own money, my own connections. All I want is Helen's companionship, which I daresay is enough for any man. Can you say the same, protégé?" He let his eyes flash into black, because if he didn't let his anger out in some manner, he would burn with it from within. It would serve no purpose to eviscerate little William, but oh, how he wanted to in that moment.

"Look, Tesla, I'm not going to pull any punches, whether or not you are around to hear me. You are dangerous. What with the problems we've got on our plate, we don't need you…"

"William, hush! I don't need to hear this from you. I know very well exactly who and what Nikola is and what he could represent. It is not your decision whether or not to tolerate his presence and my Sanctuary or in my life! Has it not occurred to you that with the potential problems of species migrating up from Hollow Earth, a man of Nikola's skills and experience might be an enormous asset rather than a thorn in our sides?"

Nikola grinned and suddenly felt on top of the world. If he'd been a little less incensed and the boy, he'd have stuck out his tongue. But Helen had still refused to look him in the eye, and that worried him. He stood close to her, but did not touch her. William had already backed away to the other end of the window, grumbling under his breath and watching Kate as she calmly and efficiently wrangled the ten pound green furry creature, taking a blood sample and tagging it, before loading it into a proper Plexiglas, soundproof crate.

Kate's voice came through the speakers against the glass, "I'm running the sample through the analyzer now. It didn't give off that weird scream again, but since there ain't any other abnormals in the room, I don't think it much knows what to do with little ol' human me but snarl."

"Where's the wolf?" Nikola said, wondering where Enrico had gone off to, leaving his ladylove alone and helpless against the threat of the tiny green lust monster.

"I sent Henry to his workstation to set up the security video of the lab when the initial reaction occurred." She leaned forward to press the intercom button, brushing into his shoulder as she did so. At least she wasn't afraid to touch him. "Ok, Kate, let's leave the creature here in the crate for now. He seems quite docile for the moment. We'll wait on the blood analysis to determine the proper level of SHU containment. Let's head down to Henry and see what else he can tell us."

"Will do, Doc. Meet you there."

William pushed open the doors and left in a huff, leaving Nikola and Helen alone for a brief moment. She turned toward him, giving him a half smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I still don't understand what happened between us, Nikola. And I've never seen that creature before, though it is in some ways visibly similar to a nubbin. Why…why are you here, Nikola? What do you want?"

"You don't trust me, Helen?" Her answer was very important. He shouldn't expect her to believe in him, but somehow it was very necessary that he have her trust. He'd spent the better part of the last two years trying to earn it, though he'd not even been realizing that's exactly what he was doing.


	5. Chapter Five

Helen tried to be calm and cool, to don the mask she'd worn for so long that she couldn't remember life without it. But the mask was fractured beyond repair. Between losing Ashley, coming so near to death, and the infuriating man in front of her, she couldn't hide from the outside world beyond an untouchable front. She couldn't hide from herself. And he deserved an answer.

"I'm not sure I even know what trust is any longer. But I want to trust you, Nikola. That has to count for something."

She brushed past him, intent on reaching Henry's technical hidey-hole and discovering what exactly had happened last night. She felt emotions bubbling to the surface that she'd forgotten existed. She felt out of control and she didn't like it at all. She couldn't deal with what may or may not be hiding deep in Nikola's eyes. Not until she understood what both of them had been through.

So, she did not think about how adorable he looked in a misbuttoned shirt and chaotically damp hair. She'd never seen him so at odds with his fastidious nature, and she wondered if she was the cause, or simply the drugs that remained in their systems.

Her stomach clenched in hunger. The need for food she could put off, but she hoped that her possible conversion to a demi-vampire would not entail her wanting to eat her team. She remembered the desperate hunger in Nikola those first few harrowing weeks after they'd injected the Source blood, and she had not the desire to mimic the experience. But so far, the only blood hunger she felt was for him, to bury her teeth in his neck as he surged within her body.

She felt him behind her, walking steadily behind her, and she squashed down the desire to hold her hand out for him to grasp, like a couple of youngsters courting in the schoolroom. This was ridiculous!

Soon enough, they'd crisscrossed through the correct corridors despite her distraction, and walked in to see Henry adjusting three monitors, two with prepared video feed, and a third running the PCR of the new abnormal's genetics.

"Kermit. I definitely vote for Kermit for the name of this little guy. He's cute, he's green, and he can let out one hail of a wail if provoked."

"Why do you insist on these ridiculous nicknames?" Will stood here, rubbing his bruised neck, his shoulders curled in. He could obviously do with a good night of decent sleep, and Helen couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for what she had inadvertently put her team through. Perhaps she could give Will some time off to spend with Abby? At least a weekend. With Nikola around, she would need some space to talk with him and figure out some ground rules to their current predicament, and how Nikola would fit into the Sanctuary on a more permanent basis. At least…she assumed that's what he wanted. The thought struck her that might be a bad assumption, given how flighty Nikola had proven over the decades. But this time, rather than a mild irritant, the thought of him leaving sent a bolt of pure terror through her. Enough so that it clearly affected her speech.

"All right, Henry, show me what the bloody hell happened!"

Henry, Will and Kate all turned to her with wide eyes like guilty children, and Nikola laughed. "Don't worry, kids. You've done nothing. Mommy is simply in a bad mood I'm afraid." He wrapped a careless arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body, turning his head and whispering in her ear. "Don't worry, ljubavi. I'm not going anywhere."

She was embarrassed at how much those words made her entire body relax, and how easy it was to accept his embrace rather than push him away in a huff. She should, she really, really should – but she didn't.

"I'm sorry, Henry. That was uncalled for. Do you have any video of what happened upon the creature's arrival in the lab?"

"Here, Doc, I've got it all set up in sequence. But I'll warn you, there's no sound after the thing let's out its wail. I'm analyzing the exact pitch right now – whatever it was, it blew out every microphone in a thousand yards. I'm amazed it didn't bust all our eardrums."

Helen tried to ignore Kate's mutterings about Kermit being a rotten singer and stared at the screen, trying not to noticed Nicola's thumb making slow circles over her hip. It wasn't even a sexual act. He was focused on the images as they both came into the lab, trailed by Will and Kate. He was touching her simply for the joy of it, and she couldn't stop him. She really really didn't want to.

"Are you sure this isn't a nubbin, Magnus? Shouldn't we be careful. Put in some un-gnawable container?"

Will's voice sounded a bit tinny on the security microphone, but it was clear enough.

"It might be related to the species, yes, though this abnormal seems to be deep in a hibernation cycle. I've got the lab on full environmental lockdown to prevent the spread of pheromones. I would suggest that you and Kate stay well clear though. Nubbins do not affect abnormals, so Nikola and I should be safe enough."

"Oh, I don't know, Helen. Perhaps this time my charms will get through to you finally. You have to admit, this little fellow is rather adorable. Will he fill you with unending gratitude for his rescue?"

Helen looked at Nikola sharply, but he shrugged his shoulders and it not let go on his hold on her waist. "I swear, I had no idea what the effects of the little beast were. I simply thought rescuing it would get me inside and you in a good mood. I did not expect that good a mood."

"Shut up, loverboy. We're getting to the good part!" Kate whispered. She was watching avidly, as though as she was missing for epic entertainment was a bowl of popcorn.

"I would have never pictured you in neon green neoprene gloves, Helen. Blue perhaps, you match your eyes, but that shade of green, absolutely not."

"Beggers cannot be choosers Nikola. I'm afraid they don't come in any flattering…"

Standard banter was interrupted as she reached into the cage and tried to pick up the abnormal. It opened its eyes which flashed bright green into the camera. It stood up on its tubby hind legs and let out a screech so deafening that all of the team, barring Nikola, covered their ears, again, and there was the distinct pop of the recording equipment failing. The air in the lab seemed to shimmer with the reverberations of sound. It was fascinating.

The rest of the recording went on in silence, showing Kate and Will holding their heads in pain, and Henry opening the outer door and stumbling in, his eyes wild and searching. But Helen was mostly watching herself and Nikola on the screen. Both of them seemed dazed, and they stumbled around for a moment until their eyes met. The look they shared seemed fiery, even from the odd angle of the camera. Brief words were spoken, though Helen could only lip-read a single word from Nikola. "Stay". Then Helen saw herself wrap Nikola in a passionate kiss, with no-holds barred. The kind of kiss that melted your mind and was the herald of truly abandoned love-making.

"Well done, my dear!" Nikola nuzzled her neck, and Helen couldn't help but flash back to her bedroom, the incredible pleasure she'd succumbed to at his very capable hands. She really, really wanted to remember all that had passed between them.

On the screen, Will was yelling, and Henry was shifting from foot to foot, looking at Kate with hunger eyes as she smiled uncertainly back at him. Will clamped a hand on to Henry's shoulder just as Nikola propped Helen up on a gurney and she wrapped her legs around his hips, ignoring the show of her legs being quite visible as her skirt was pushed high up her thighs.

"Don't worry, Magnus. We don't see anything…yet"

"Oh bloody hell." Magnus muttered and Nikola laughed.

A moment later on the screen, a yelling Will and a befuddled Henry was pulling Nikola backwards from Helen's embrace and Nikola reacted badly, turning full vamp and throwing Henry clean across the lab, while Helen saw herself attack poor William and try to choke him half to death. With both Henry and Will down for the count and Kate apparently laughing, Helen reached a hand out to Nikola, and both of them fled the lab, obviously looking for privacy. Henry stood up and seemed to shake himself, then loped over to the laughing Kate and proceeded to try and give her a hug.

Henry cleared his throat. "Let's move on to the hallway." Kate giggled and Henry blushed, and Helen was furiously thinking of anything that could have had such a profound effect on the abnormals in the room, or out of the room apparently, but not influenced the humans.

The next camera showed a view down the hallway. Helen and Nikola stumbled into view, their mouths locked together as though they could not get enough of one another. Hands were everywhere, her louse half open. Helen winced as she saw herself pull Nikola's waistcoat open, then tear at his shirt, popping the buttons that went every which way. Nikola, threw out an arm and cleared off the side table, pushing that valuable, but reproduction, Chinese vase onto the floor where it shattered. He effortlessly picked Helen up and plopped her on to the surface, standing between her legs and running kisses along her neck. His hand slipped under her skirt, and Helen found herself blushing crimson as she knew very well what those fingers were probably doing from the rapture on her own face. At least her skirt hid the exact details from the rest of the team, but this was practically pornographic. Tasteful and exquisite, but still…

"Don't you think this is a little bit too private for public consumption?" Nikola growled into her ear, just the fainted edge of vampire in his voice. He was honestly upset, possessive even. For some reason Helen found the fact that he was possessive of her pleasure to be incredibly erotic and she swayed slightly closer to him, pressing her hip against his.

Nikola cleared his throat. "Henry, is it possible to fast-forward…"

"You called me Henry!" Henry's voice was filled with shock.

"That is your name, isn't it?"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the Helen on screen seemed very put out by the interruption, Will, Kate and Henry blundered into the hallway, where Will was holding a gun point directly at the both of them. Nikola reared back, turning with inhuman speed to guard Helen from the threat. Will fired his dart gun, missing entirely and embedding a dart in the wall. Helen pushed herself around Nikola, intent on getting between Nikola and the threat, and so when Will tried another shot, the dart imbedded itself in her leg. She howled with resentment.

Nikola growled loudly, bringing up his claws, and Kate pushed Will aside, bringing up her own gun and firing at Nikola, leaving him with four darts in his chest and bicep. Neither Helen nor Nikola seemed the least bit phased, and Helen began to shout, silently of course as the sound was still compromised. Nikola seemed focused on his goals though, and picked Helen up as though she weighed nothing, slinging her over his shoulder in an inelegant fireman's carry as he barreled down the hallway, Will firing more shots haphazardly, a few of which hit home in both Helen and Nikola.

Nikola turned and held up the hand not keeping a squirming Helen from falling off his shoulder and let loose a rather impressive fireworks show that had Kate and Will ducking for cover behind potted plants and Henry half-transforming to better block Kate. The light bulbs began to pop and then with a flare of blue light, the camera went dead.

"And that's all, folks," Henry quipped.

"Except for the symphony of moaning which followed," Kate laughed.

"Don't forget the screaming. I wish I could." Henry laughed. At least he didn't seem too upset by the entire encounter. Will was still steaming on Henry's other side, staring at the blank screen and refusing to look at Helen.

Helen didn't want to deal with petulancy, and instead looked at the results churning out of the PCR. "Definitely closely related to the Nubbina atelix, but given the location in Chiapas, with the high population of abnormal predators in the vicinity, it must be targeted to them."

Nikola was still staring at the last screen capture from the lab. "That noise was quite remarkable. I remember some work done years ago by that fellow in the Cairo Sanctuary, what was his name, Knippenburg? About…"

Helen grinned, loving how Nikola's mind worked. "Auditory processing in the abnormal brain and its links to the…"

"Amygdala." Nikola smiled, "I do love it when we finished each other's sentences."

Will raised his head, his expression one of contemplation rather than tight with repressed anger. He did so love a puzzle, her protégé. "If Kermit's screams set off a signal cascade between the pituitary and the amygdala, it would explain the faulty memory."

"And the aggression and lack of higher thought." Helen nodded her agreement. "With that level of hormones flooding the system, it wouldn't be possible to store short term memory in the proper locations."

Nikola butted in, of course. "That would also explain the inability to resist attraction and instinct." He leaned into her, his arm tightening across her back. "And it would incite a flare of arousal, even stronger than the more common Nubbin."

William grumbled, "But it wouldn't just be for the closest available warm body. Not at that level, and not without the trigger of pheromones. If the amygdala is in play, then it would be…"

"Someone you really wanted. Someone you loved." Nikola whispered into her ear and she closed her eyes, wanting to sink into the sound of his voice and acknowledge the truth in his words.

Her eyes snapped open. "We have to recover those memories. They are there, just stored in a different part of the brain, more basic sense memory. There's…" she bit her lip. "There's always using the Pragartan slime."

Kate groan. "Oh yuck! That purple stuff? That stuff that you can't get off without a five day shower and makes her have really bad trips down memory lane?"

Helen chucked her tongue. "Pragartan worms are an amazing creature, and their defense mechanism is not that different than this 'Kermit' nubbin, or, in fact, the hunting manner of its larger cousin the Psych worm. The slime will induce the most recent memories involving high levels of adrenaline, which would of course be what happened yesterday."

Will crossed his arms, "Magnus, we've got chaos on our hands, Hollow Earth creature erupting on to the surface, and you want to risk your sanity on a search for memories of a really good fuck?"

Helen frowned, but Nikola was the one to speak. "Such foul language, boy. She came out of the coma you were in with her mind intact, and yet you don't trust her to be to weigh risks? All because you are a jealous little clod? If I thought she would put herself at risk for a stupid reason, I would speak up, but I for one, trust Helen to know when something is worthwhile!" He snorted derisively.

Will opened his mouth, but simply blew out a great breath. "Fine, fine. You love her, you've made her a vampire just like you've always dreamed, and now you want her to remember your first time, great. Just leave me the hell out of it." He swept past them and out the door, leaving it swinging in his wake.

Helen turned to contemplate Nikola. "If we are linked now, if I've somehow acquired some of your abilities, we need to understand exactly what happened. Brewing chaos or not, I need to know who I am."

"And you need to trust me." Nikola spoke so softly, but she could feel the edge of pain in his voice.

She couldn't yet answer. She knew she trusted him, but she couldn't trust herself. Not until she understood what had happened.


	6. Chapter Six

I tried to let Will redeem himself a bit. I've been very mean to him!

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Nikola sat at Helen's dining room table, staring at her intently while he sipped at the fine burgundy in his glass and took occasional bites of the extremely rare filet mignon that he'd been served by the ever efficient sasquatch. Nikola really was learning to like the fellow. He didn't need the food, he must have sipped Helen's blood the night before, and such ambrosia sustained him extraordinarily well. He had rarely felt as excellent as he did now, with the drugs out of his system and her essence, and her mark, remaining.

Helen was smiling, a beautiful thing, while she talked with her staff and ate dainty bites of the luscious moussaka – still her favorite. He remembered the first trip they'd taken to Greece in 1896, and how delighted she'd been by everything. The food, the song, the Oracle. It had appealed to her sense of adventure, and partially healed her broken heart. But never fully.

He'd tried. He'd made a vow to protect her. She'd not chosen him, she'd chosen John, and yet he'd vowed to love no other, and protect her – and he'd bungled it badly. And just as he'd run from the death of his brother, he ran from his failures with her over and over again.

Helen laughed softly at something the wolf…that Henry had said, as they were discussing possible improvements to the security camera and the sound equipment to prevent future problems like the one the Nubbina kermitus had created. If he did stay, if he could stay, he would have to get to know these people, treat them with some modicum of respect, and sit here in this room and hear Helen talk and laugh, rather than always and forever hiding in his lab.

He'd hidden himself away, like the protégé was at this very moment, jealous of the time Helen spent with others. Now that he'd claimed her, he found how silly that had been. Helen gave of herself generously, true – but her trust, her inner soul? She guarded that like a lioness. If she gave him the keys, he would be the keeper of her heart. But would his claim stand? After so very long looking at her from outside walls they'd both built, could he let himself stand at her side and give up the burdens of his countless failures?

She met this eyes across the table, jewel-bright like two aquamarines, and his heart thumped in his chest, as it had since the first time he'd seen her. Perhaps this time, he'd find the courage not to run away. For if they were tied together by the events of the previous night, then if he ran, they would both suffer unending pain at the separation. And he'd be damned if he hurt her again.

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Helen ate as heartily as she could – Biggie had done a superb job with the moussaka, truly divine. She needed the food, both to recover from the events of yesterday, and to prepare for what was to come. She had not personally experienced the effects of the Pragartan slime distillate, but she knew that they were very helpful in treating certain kinds of post-traumatic stress in abnormals. She had not heard of them being used for purposeful memory recall before, but she saw no reason why it shouldn't work. But those who had been exposed, either purposefully or by accident, described the experience as being one of incredible detail, more vivid than any dream. It was as close to reliving the experience as one could get, at least for a recent experience. If what had happened between her and Nikola was half so explosive as she guessed, then she was in for a very intense night, even if she was lying on a lab table.

Frankly, after what had happened a few weeks ago with the psych worm, she was loath to surrender herself to some dream world, but her distaste was far surpassed by her need to understand, for both she and Nikola to understand, whatever had passed between them. The comfort she felt in his presence, the caress of his eyes on her skin, these things seemed so very precious. They always had been, but now she allowed herself to notice. She did not want to believe in a lie, or base her life around a mysterious encounter. If she did choose a partner for her life, this time she would do it with her eyes wide open, blinded by nothing. But she was almost afraid that her body had already chosen for her, and neither her mind nor her heart could interfere.

She pasted on a smile, watching Henry and Kate banter and come up to the edge of flirting, testing the waters. She remembered doing that once upon a time with Nikola, when they were the world to each other. Before the Five. Her eyes flickered over to him, and he was still watching her, a smile flirting about those beautiful lips. She didn't want to think about how much she wanted to kiss him, and how little of her mind was on the table conversation and how much was wrapped up in remembering when they'd woken up, tangled together. The look in his eyes, the strength in his body, how he'd worshipped her rather than wallowed in pride and finally conquering her.

Maybe she was more than a game, more than a challenge. Maybe he did love her. Her mind shied away from it, but her heart screamed, "Yes! You bloody idiot!" and demanded that she get up, plop herself on his lap, and kiss him until everyone else disappeared and then let him take her spread out like a feast on her dining room table. She shuddered, and she could swear that Nikola chuckled softly, no doubt somehow reading her mind. Who knows how this proxy vampirism worked…though her taste for food hadn't changed, she still felt something bubbling under the surface, whispering under her skin and needing…something. Mostly likely Nikola.

Dessert was baklava, flaky and nutty and would require a great deal of exercise to burn away, but somehow she expected that she was going to be getting a great deal of exercise in the foreseeable future. The taste of honey and orange blossom on her tongue, she stared openly at Nikola and suddenly felt very eager to get to that future as quickly as possible.

"Any of the baklava left for me?" Will stood in the doorway, looking sheepish.

"Are you prepared to be civil?" Nikola spoke, but surprising with a tone much less harsh than she would have expected. Perhaps he'd come to some level of maturity? Miracles would never cease.

"I…" Will put a hand behind his head and looked at the ceiling, "I figure I have the most experience with actually administering the Pragartan distillate. And you need someone to oversee you, make sure you don't go into seizures. And…" his eyes bore into hers, "He makes you happy. You need that. Even if he's an ass, he loves you."

She fought against the slightly hysterical laugh that bubbled up from within. All right. There was no fighting it. Nikola loved her, she loved him, and whatever the hell the memories they recovered told them, she couldn't hide within her shell anymore.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Nikola grinned at her, while standing with that leonine grace of his. "Oh Helen, I'm sure you'll wish it was never over. And if I have any say in the matter, it never will be."

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The whole team followed, but Will had prepped one of the smaller SHU rooms, this with no plexiglas window. It was fairly plushly appointed for a SHU, with actual beds rather than gurneys, and she noted this particular room had excellent soundproofing. She raised an eyebrow at Will, who actually blushed.

"It's been my experience that patience can thrash about a bit or make…noises, from the experience of the dream. And afterwards…it takes some time to come back to reality. I've disabled the cameras in the room, but left on all the infrared heart and blood oxygen monitors. If either of you are in significant distress, an alarm will sound, but otherwise…we'll leave you alone for the night."

"The memories are reenacted at almost ten times the speed at which they occurred. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours really." Helen spoke, a bit puzzled.

Nikola chuckled. "We'll need all night, Helen." He turned to William, giving him a curt little half bow. "And thank you for your blessing. We didn't need it, but I do understand the sacrifice."

Will frowned. "Yeah, sure. Look, I've got the dosage prepped, if you two are ready?"

Helen took a deep breath and nodded, following a very eager Nikola into the room, and lying down on one of the beds. Nikola paused briefly, than with negligent, but immensely strong, nudge, pushed the two single beds together, leaving no room between them. He fluffed his pillow and then hopped on to the bed, giving her an enormous smile. "Does this side work for you? Because I promise, on this issue I'm really quite flexible. Left side, right side, as long as it's at your side."

She laughed, despite herself. "Oh, Nikola what am I ever going to do with you?"

He opened his mouth, his eyes suddenly serious, but Will broke the moment and she was left wondering what Nikola was going to say. "Do you want these injections or not? This stuff loses potency with time."

"Ah, so sad. The best things just get better with age, don't you think Helen?"

"And here I thought actually succumbing to you might reduce the number and strength of blatant innuendo in your every word."

Nikola held his arm out, never flinching when Will found a vein and injected the brilliant purple liquid into his arm. "What would be the fun in that? With such inspiration, I could never contain myself."

Will blew out an annoyed breath, and Helen simply rolled her eyes to the ceiling as Will repeated the process on her, injecting her and then disposing of the needle. She felt the world grow hazy as Will slipped out the door, and she turned her face toward the made at her side, his soft smile and brilliant eyes the last thing she saw before darkness swept her into it's embrace.

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There were no thoughts, only feelings. Her ears ached with a piercing pain that made her grit her teeth and lose any train of thought. She blinked her eyes and the ringing suddenly stopped, to be replaced by the pounding of her heart and an undeniable discontent. She looked around the room, so familiar and yet so unsatisfying. He gaze flickered over the other occupants in a futile search, one man, a woman, another man at the door, all not what she wanted. Then she saw him.

Their gaze met and his eyes widened, a smile on his lips. Discontent melted, replaced by need. He was needed and welcome and could stop the ache in her.

He spoke, his voice raw but beautiful, the sound shaking her into action, "I came to stay."

"You bloody well better!" She walked forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close, kissing those lips and sighing with bliss at the contact. Finally, her blood seemed to sing. He took control, wrapping her in his arms and slanting his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss with the stroke of his tongue and pushing her back against a gurney. She moaned, wanting him, needed this man so badly. Whatever had held her back for so many years seemed impossibly small and silly, not when it felt so right to be kissing him, wrapping her body around him, begging him to stay and take and give.

When hands closed around her waist, pulling her backward and away from him, she hissed, flailing out with her arms and striking with deadly accurate an elbow into her assailant's ribs. Buzzing filled her ears and red rage clouded her vision and she turned around, wrapping long fingers around the throat of her attacker and cutting off his air supply. She had waited too long and she would not be stopped now!

There was a lot of shouting and then finally the fool's grip on her disappeared, and she found herself free. She turned to find her man, and was not bothered by his black eyes or razor teeth, or the fate of the other male he'd flung across the room. He held out a hand and she took it, speeding past him and pulling him along, intent on finding shelter where they would not be disturbed.

The farther they fled, the longer they were alone, the more her mind clouded, her purpose lost in her need. She stopped suddenly and he turned to her, and without a word passing between them he kissed her, moving backward slowly as he pulled her into his arms, his teeth nipping at her lips, his tongue greedy in seeking out her own. She was just as needy, sinking her hands into his hair and holding on for dear life, pushing her body against his and moaning her pleasure, not caring for her pride or who might hear. There was nothing but her man.

Clever fingers undid her buttons, seeking her flesh and she sighed with pleasure. She heard a crash, but didn't care, until she felt his hands cup her rear and put her off her feet, setting her on a hard surface as he pushed closer. She could feel him hard against her, and she wanted his skin against hers. She tore through the layers separating them, buttons flying, and his laughter made her smile, made her want him that much more. His lips caressed her neck, and then his teeth began to nibble and she was thrilled by the danger of it, knowing that he held the power to hurt her, but that he never would. She trusted him, more than anyone else.

The knowledge bloomed within her and she shuddered with it, tears prickling behind her eyes. He whispered against her skin, words in a language that was not her own, but that she understood.

"Moja lepotica," My beauty. "Ja sam tvoj," I am yours. "Ti si moja!" You are mine!

"Yes!" she whispered, as his long supple fingering moved up her thigh, pushing aside her underthings and stroking over the swollen lips of her sex. She moaned softly, throwing her head back and baring her neck, begging for his touch, his kiss, his bite. His fingertips rubbed over her clit with the softest caress and she arched her back, begging for more, needing everything. Two fingers plunged into her heat, thrusting deep and she let out a scream, wanting all of him inside her, wanting to take in every bit of him and unwilling to wait.

The thunk into the wood behind her head barely registered, but her man tore away from her, his eyes black and his teeth ready to rip into whatever threatened them. She saw the gun as a threat, but knew that she would let nothing happen to her partner. She moved to shield him instinctively, and the brief pain from the dart in her leg was almost worth it to see the beauty of her man in anger. He blazed with it, incandescent, and she wanted nothing more than to rid themselves of these pests and have him take her.

More shots, more darts, and she began screeching, bringing forth the vilest curses she could think of the language of the one who now held the gun. She felt her feet leave the floor again, as he hoisted her over his shoulder and flew down the corridor faster than the wind, shots continuing after them.

Her room, and blessed privacy, and the door locked tight. He pressed her against the heavy wood, ripping the darts from both of them. She felt buoyant, light as air, and everything was perfect as he began to tear the clothes from her body, kissing her with teeth still sharp. She tasted blood on her tongue, but it was delicious.


	7. Chapter Seven

Almost every instinct burned within him to rip, to tear, to feed. But he fought against it, because it would hurt her if he killed. He could not hurt her. So he ran, with her as his prize, driven to find privacy so he could finally take what he'd stalked for so long.

She was his.

He pushed her back into the locked door, pressing himself into her softness and reveling in her scent, the sound of her sighs, the thrum of her sweet blood under her skin. She was everything delicious. She was everything. She was his mate.

He shredded her clothes, not caring about the silk and lace coverings. He needed her skin, and tried not to scratch too much with his nails, but he was impatient, and with every scratch her arched against him, making him growl. She liked it.

She struggled with his clothes as he captured a perfect rose nipple in his mouth, the taste of her everything he'd longed for. Let loose from every fear, every question but whether she wanted him, he could smell the answer in her arousal.

She was wet for him, and as the last scraps fell away from her body, he wanted to thrust his fingers into her, then his tongue, making her scream for him, beg him, but her legs were already around his hips and she wouldn't let him move far enough away.

"Now!" she screamed, her nails sinking into the naked skin of his shoulders, his shirt hanging by tattered strips from his biceps.

How could he deny her anything? He slipped a finger into the waistband of his trousers and slit it cleanly, pushing it away and leaving his cock to jut out against the warmth of her stomach. She pushed a hand between their bodies and pressed him against her slick wetness, his cock brushing against her nub. She panted, swirling her hips to increase the pressure, and he sucked in a breath between teeth gone too sharp. He could not risk biting her, not without her consent. It would go too far. But he wanted to, so damn badly he forgot why she shouldn't, only that it would be bad, very very bad. Full of pain and heartbreak.

"Inside, please, Nikola!"

His name, oh, so sweet, so very sweet on her lips, with that voice. He pushed farther, aligning his hips and pushing in as slowly as he could, despite her nails and her pants begging for fast and hard. He had to savor it, make it last…

He paused the moment he was sheathed within her, the sense of coming home so overpowering that he couldn't breathe. Something wasn't quite right about this, and he felt tears in his eyes, though he couldn't understand why. She groaned, moving her hips and forcing him deeper within, crying wordlessly. She needed more, and he would give it to her.

He withdrew fast, almost completely, then ramming back in as fast and hard as she had silently begged. She screamed, bright and happy, clenching her sheath so tightly he almost saw stars. It had been so long, he'd been waiting so, so long. Again he withdrew through her tight passage, her body unwilling to let him leave, her hips tilting against his as he made his escape, and then he plunged back in, her moans beckoning him, welcoming him, her legs wrapped around him, her feet pushing against the small of his back, her arms tight around his shoulders, her lips at his ear, whispering nonsense that meant more than the highest philosophical debate.

Faster, harder, she begged and he gave, his nails scraping over the wood of the door as he braced them both against its strength. He kissed her jaw, her ear, burdened his nose in the wild tangle of her hair, her scent everywhere, her voice ragged as she moaned her pleasure, the sounds becoming an exquisite crescendo. She was shaking, her sheath tightening around him, and he was so close to erupting within her. He wanted to, but something was stopping him. He could not lose control, he mustn't, he had to stop…but then he heard her, whispering, crying out in the midst of her climax, words that he understood. He pulled back, his hips losing their rhythm as he looking into her face, searching.

"Love you…love you…" her eyes were closed and her lips smiled with bliss, her hands clutching his shoulders and her nails biting into his skin. Her eyes opened and she stared into his, "I love you, Nikola."

He couldn't stop it. Teeth elongated and he bent to her neck, biting as he climaxed, pumping his seed into her as he claimed what was finally, irretrievably his. She screamed, but clamped hard around him, her legs pulling him close as they both convulsed with each erratic thrust, his climax prolonging hers as electricity sparked between them in a blue haze. The taste of her blood on his tongue was beyond description, bliss incarnate, and the tears that had threatened leaked from his black eyes, their salt mixing with the metallic nectar of her. Her hand moved into his hair, not to pull him away but clutching him to her, keeping him pinned to her neck, drinking from her, taking her completely.

He stopped, unwilling to risk harm to her, no matter how she was a feast beyond measure. He stroked his tongue over the ghastly wound, making the bleeding stop and helping her to heal. The last quakes of pleasure shook them both and his weight pressed her into the door, his cock still hard within her despite the incredible climax that had exploded within him, making him do the unthinkable.

Sorrow built in his chest, a crushing weight that he could not process. What had he done? When would she flee?

Her legs dropped from around his hips and he slipped out of her, his cock bobbing between them as she regained her footing. He tore himself away from her, taking a shaky step backwards, away from her body, though a fierce instinct screamed for him to crush her in his arms.

He would let her run.

And run she did, but not out the door. On unsteady legs she scampered toward the bed, looking back over her shoulder with a wide satisfied smile, her eyes promising more. He was after her before his mind could come up with any more questions, any more quilt to feed his disquiet. She still wanted him, and he could not deny her.

But the time she climbed onto the high mattress on her hands and knees, her bottom in the air, he was behind her, his hands on her hips, his lips caressing the peachy skin of her lush derriere with the delight of a connoisseur gifted a masterpiece. He nuzzled the pouting flesh of her sex, his tongue circling her clit quickly before diving in to lick her essence combined with his own. Food no longer satisfied his taste buds, but this was better than any taste he could recall from his time as a mortal. She was still sensitive, and she gasped and bucked at too much sensation, but he could give her no respite. He had to taste her, had to show her everything they could have, everything he'd ever wanted.

His long tongue stroked her walls, his chin pressed against her clit, and he could feel the contractions and the rumbles of her moan as she came. He smiled in victory as her juices coated his face, licking up every last delightful drop. He drew back, but could not stop his instinct to mark her, and as she shuddered with the last gasps of this round of pleasure he sank his teeth, softly but surely, into the round flesh of her buttock. This did not make her scream in pain, but brought on the surge of another climax, and his heart surged in triumph. God, she was perfect, absolutely perfect.

With another soft lick to sooth the wound, he rose above her, climbing on the bed and positioning himself to enter her once again, his cock already painfully hard.

She looked over her shoulder, looking at him with hot eyes through the tangled strands of her hair. "Jebati mene, Niko!"

The sound of her begging him to fuck her in Serbian was too much, and he lost what little control he'd held on to. His eyes solid black, his teeth wickedly sharp, he gripped her hips with claws barely held short of lethal and rammed home, his cock going deep into her still fluttering sheath.

She screamed, brilliant, beautiful, her back arching and taking him deeper inside her body. Not waiting for either of them to recover, he slammed out and in, out and in, and she bent to his rhythm in perfect counterpoint, like they'd been made to pace each other perfectly. His hand gripped her hair, pulling her head back as his hips pistoned into hers. He bent over her long body and set the edge of his teeth in his mark, not drinking but unable to resist the pull of his mark, the need to claim her and make her understand she was his.

She came around him, squeezing him tighter than any other lover, surpassing any of his dark, sweet dreams of her. She did not grow lax, but pushed harder, rocking back into his cock and taking more and more of him, setting a blistering pace, leaning into him until his teeth broken the surface of her skin and her blood flowed over his tongue once again. Against his will, he thrust into her with no quarter, deep as he could go, too fast, too hard, until he burst his seed flowing forth once again as she keened her own release, the pleasure so pure his mind finally stilled. For one perfect eternity, everything was brilliant white and he and she were one whole.


	8. Chapter Eight

Helen blinked away the threatening blackness, fighting to stay conscious though she wanted to succumb to perfect sleep. He was slipping out of her, his weight at her back as they were both collapsed on the bed. She wanted to keep him within her, but he moved away, falling to her side. She missed the blissful heaviness of him. She ached everywhere, and she loved it. Felt the blood trickling from the wound at her neck, dripping softly to the sheets, and it did not repulse her. It thrilled her, what she'd craved, what she'd needed for far too long.

She spun sinuously, facing him, looking into his eyes and expecting satisfaction and triumph. What she saw was a wistful sadness in eyes once again back to stormy grey. That's why she was still awake, though her mind was sluggish and demanded rest and her body was exhausted with more pleasure than she'd thought possible, her heart was still unsettled. Something was unfinished, and her mind was too clouded to comprehend why.

Her body decided to find its own answers. She kissed him, tasting her blood and juices together on his lips, and the salty musk of his own cum still lingered on his tongue. She wanted her share, and while he lay preternaturally still, she moved down his body, licking and nipping the muscles of his chest and flat stomach. He was beautiful, a work of art. She craved to sink her teeth into the long, lean muscle of his thigh, but resisted, the temptation of his half-hard member too strong. Looking up into his eyes, once again hot with need, she took him into her mouth, tasting the sticky essence of them both combined. He grew quickly in her mouth, his stamina unmatched, and soon enough she was twirling her tongue around the hard head of him before taking as much as she could swallow, breathing through her nose and relaxing the muscles of her throat.

He arched his back, pushing into her mouth, rubbing back and forth against her palate as her tight pressed against the vein along the back of his cock. His hands came up into her hair, though he made no move to force himself deeper, she tried her best, two fingers clenched tight around the base, her pinky tickling his balls, as she bobbed up and down. She stared up at him, enjoying the site of him, his mouth open his breathing quick, his eyes half-open yet watching her lips wrapped around him. She could taste a spurt of salty pre-cum, and she relished it, but she did not want to let him spend yet.

She let him go with a pout and he growled softly, but not menacingly, and she smiled widely as she crawled up, perching above him and aligning them with ease, sinking on to the thick length of him with a soft exhalation. Oh, bloody hell he was perfect.

"Helen….moj angelu…," he sighed softly, his eyes full of something indescribable, something that threatened to make her heart burst in her chest. She rose above him and slid down again, impaling herself again and again in slow cycles, her hips circling to make him touch her throbbing sheath everywhere. His hands gripped her hips and she sped up slightly, unable to maintain a slow torturous pace as the unknown need grew in her.

His eyes darkened to black, his nails pricked at the skin of her hips, and he sat up seating himself deeper within her as he captured a nipple in his mouth, sucking just hard enough that there was the edge of pain. Pleasure began to crest once again, but it wasn't quite enough.

"Bite, damn it. Bite me!"

He did not hesitate to obey, and his teeth sank into her skin, making sparks of purple and white flash before her eyes as she came again. She clamped around him painfully, her body brought to its limits, but he lifted his head too soon, only to bite the other aureole, sucking her blood as he laved her nipple with his clever tongue. She screamed as her whole body shook with bliss, her hips slamming into his as she rode him hard enough to break a weaker man.

She knew what was missing. She pushed him down, pinning his shoulders to the bed. "Mine!" She whispered harshly, before sinking her human but eager teeth into the skin of his neck, biting hard enough to break the skin and let his blood role over her tongue.

He spasmed under her, surging into her impossibly hard, impossibly full. Liquid joy filled her, his seed and his blood, and her ears roared as the air sparked with something only described as magical. She was blinded by her climax, deafened by his roar of completion, and listless with utter contentment, his blood still hot on her tongue. She rolled to his side, unable to support her weight, and fell into unconsciousness, a smile on her lips.

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Her eyes opened wide as she woke with a soft gasp, her mind knitting together the full breadth of her memory. The half-light of the SHU hid nothing from her, her vision sharpened by her union with a vampire. She really was mated to him, of her own free will. Wonders never cease.

They'd made love again and again, their need fighting the pull of the drugs in their system. Short snatches of sleep followed by frantic couplings that still left her breathless with the memory. Nikola spooned against her, holding her hands over her head with an iron grip as he thrust into her from behind, his other hand circling her clit with the lightest teasing touch. The taste of him as he spurted into her mouth, while she still shook from his lips on her nub and his finger stroking into her, fore and aft. The taste of his blood on her tongue, the sweet drag of his cock in her body, the joy in his eyes. They'd lapsed into deep sleep only when the pink of dawn lit the sky, and awoke only when the effects of the drugs and the abnormal had leached from their system.

She'd turned to him instinctively as they lay in the clutch of their memories, and his face was still boyishly beautiful in sleep, his mouth open slightly, his breath the ghost of a snore. She would not, could not harden her heart to him, build up the walls that had been knocked down so thoroughly. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

Then he gasped as she had, and opened his eyes.

"Hello Nikola." She smiled in greeting.


	9. Chapter nine

Nikola did not want to wake up. He'd been having the most marvelous dream. He'd made love to Helen nine times in a single night, he'd bitten her, she'd bitten him, they were mated and the sex was better than he'd ever dreamed before. She hadn't run off or laughed at him or started yelling for John. She'd been his, and he did not want to wake up to a world in which he could not kiss Helen Magnus without her shooting him afterwards.

There was the softest sigh next to him, and his eyes shot open, only to look directly into soft blue eyes that smiled straight into his soul.

"Hello, Nikola."

He swallowed thickly, and all the events of the past two days resorted themselves in the correct order. Then, he grinned widely. Might as well go for broke and risk everything. "Hello, wife."

She laughed, "A new title! That's rare when you are as old as you and I. Though when the world is not at risk, I might want an actual ceremony and some kind of documentation to back that up, for sentimental reasons if nothing else, husband."

She leaned in and gave his lips a chaste peck, and moved her body closer to him as though it was the most natural thing in the world, her breasts pressed to his chest, her arm draped over his waist. He wondered once again if this was all a cruel dream and would be snatched away from him in a heartbeat.

"You aren't angry." It was an observation more than a question, though he could not quite believe it. He stroked a thumb over his mark on her neck, and she bit her full lower lip and let out a sigh that was the most sensual thing he'd ever heard.

She gave a sigh, "Perhaps I needed the push to acknowledge what I've suspected for years. When you live for so long, it's hard to risk pain that can last forever. I was too much of a coward to risk our friendship."

His brow wrinkled. "You must have known I love you, Helen. I told you in Rome, and before that, you must have guessed…"

"I may have wished, but it is very hard to tell when you are serious, Nikola. You hide behind that flippant, snarky mask too often to protect yourself. I was not sure what was real and what was an act."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to his body. "I'm sorry Helen, for not being clear. I was more coward than you, for I'd not known you a week before I knew you were the only woman I would ever love. I waited too long to tell you, and after John, I was afraid you could never forgive me, or yourself."

She pressed a soft kiss to her mark on his neck. "And now we'll never be alone. I have a feeling it would hurt too much to be apart."

"It was said that to be separated from your true mate for more than a few days, the pain was so great that death was preferable."

"I think perhaps it has always hurt when we were parted too long. I just grew too hard to notice it. So much time wasted."

"We've eternity in front of us, ljubavi. Not nearly long enough, but I'll take it."

He kissed her brow, her eyelids, and when she turned her face up to his, he pressed his lips to hers. Sweeter than any kiss he'd every stolen, she opened her mouth and invited him in, and what had been comfort soon turned hot. Even after the intensity of reliving the night past, he wanted her. His way, not the product of instinct and primal need, but the love of a man for a woman.

His kiss was passionate, but sweet, hungry, but not ravenous. She moaned softly and her hand stroked over his chest. He took that as encouragement. He pressed kisses across her jaw and nuzzled her hair, whispering in her ear, "Let me make love to you, lbujavi. Let me worship you."

Her soft laughter was his answer, and she began to unbutton his shirt, slowly, sensuously. "Only if you let me do the same, my love." She pressed kisses to the triangle of skin she had revealed, and he vowed that he might finally give up the habit of wearing an undershirt, if this was the treatment he might expect. Perhaps the modern idea of wearing less clothing had some appeal after all.

His hands swept over the warm curve of her back, tracing her spine and finding the gap between the turtleneck he'd chosen for her that afternoon and the linen trousers. Once, he might have regretted his choice of trousers rather a skirt for her this afternoon, but he intended on taking his time and worshipping her thoroughly. No shortcuts were necessary.

As soon as his fingers met the skin of her lower back her purred, her hips surging against his and he grit his teeth, wondering if he had yet to reacquire the control needed to make love to her properly when he still wanted to rip her clothes from her body and bury his cock and his teeth in her. He pushed down the bloodlust that would make him change, and contently himself with nuzzling her neck and flattening his palm against the soft warmth of her skin, stroking circles over her back.

She had much less benign intentions, and had managed to undo all the buttons of his Oxford shirt. She pulled it apart and spread one hand over his abdomen, making his cock jump. He couldn't stop the low growl that passed his lips, rumbling up through his throat like a sign of the beast trapped within. She chuckled with sensual glee, the sound utterly intoxicating.

"You are a naughty girl, Miss Magnus. So wonderfully forward."

"I've never liked to wait for something I truly need. It makes me grumpy. I think I've been grumpy for a good century or so." She licked a path down his sternum, and his hand pushed up the back of her shirt and she moved down, obviously intent on the goal of his trousers.

He pushed her, gently, down on her mattress, moving over her on hands and knees, his eyes bright. He laughed at her pout. "Now now, no need to rush. We'll get to that part, but there are so many fun things to explore first."

He needed to go slow. He didn't know how to explain, but he saw something flicker in her eyes and her expression changed, a sweet smile lifting her lips. God, she was all that was beautiful. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her for a deep drugging kiss and made him more lightheaded than the drugs had managed. She could make him forget everything, his own nefarious plots, impending doom and destruction, his middle name and the spin rate for an induction motor.

He wasn't sure when his shirt had been somehow removed from his body, but he did notice when she'd neatly flipped them over and she rose above him, playfully regal, that ageless infinite smile on her face. Her warm center was fit tight over his swollen cock, and she swirled her hips in a loose circle, making him groan. She gave a soft, sexy laugh – utterly natural yet more stimulating than all the actresses since Edison marketed his first stolen movie camera.

She crossed her arms at her waist and gripped the edge of her shirt, then pulled the turtleneck over her head, exposing miles of golden skin and breasts barely restrained by the blue lace cups of her bra. She shook her hair out as she dropped the shirt on the floor by the bed, and it set those glorious mounds to shimmying an enticing rhythm. Letting out the smallest of growls, he rose up on his elbow and captured a nipple through the fabric, scrapping it delicately with his human teeth as his free hand slipped over her hip and pressed against the small of her back once again.

She wrapped her arms around his head, holding him to her breast and giving the most beautiful panting moans he'd ever heard or imagined. His hips bucked of their own accord, torturing his cock with pressure that couldn't find a release, not until he damned well let it. With a thought, the metal clasp of her bra unhooked and the material loosened and he pulled it away with his teeth. She laughed again, a reward even sweeter than her moans, and he returned to his treatment of her nipple, sucking the bud into his mouth and tasting the sweetness of her skin.

Her hips jerked against him and she growled at him. He looked up to see her eyes a swirl of blue and silver black. The thought of his Helen as a vampire, truly his perfect match, was ecstasy, and it took every shred of his control to let his teeth sink into her flesh and his claws rip her clothes from her body.

"Pants. Off. Now!" she hissed at him and he released her nipple with a pop and an enormous grin. She really wasn't going to run away. Not ever again.

He arched his hips and tumbled them over pushing her down onto the bed with a stern but gentle kiss while he searched for the zip on her trousers. Her hands came up to his waist and tried to do the same, resulting in an awkward struggle in which, surprisingly, he was the victor slipping her trousers and panties off her body as she shrugged out of her bra, leaving her nude and rosy with arousal, her tangle dark hair framing a face that looked at him with raw need.

He pulled himself off the bed, standing to shed his trousers and sitting at her feet.

"What are you doing, Nikola?" she did not sound happy. She sounded impatient and greedy. His smiled in victory then circled his hand around one of her elegant ankles, lifting her foot.

"I'm loving you, Helen." He pressed a kiss to the arch of her foot, and continued up, kissing and licking the tops of her foot, her ankles, her calves, pausing every so often to switch between the right and left limb and listen to her soft pants of breath. He bit the back of one knee and looked up to where she'd spread her thighs in invitation, her curls wet and glossy for him, her scent begging him to taste her core.

"I've wanted to kiss every inch of you for a very long time. Thought I might as well make a good start of it."

"You've got centuries to finish the job, ljubav. Please, no more torture!"

Oh, speaking in Serbian. She was playing dirty. He let his tongue trace over a tendon in her strong thighs and he followed it up, up, until he was at the juncture of those beautiful legs and her quim was searing hot under his touch. He gave her a long slow lick, the tip of his tongue swirling around her clit and she bucked up into him. His fingers stroked her entrance, and she'd healed quickly, for he could tell by her pants and the angle of her hips that his touch brought her only pleasure, not pain.

He thrust two fingers inside and she felt hot and slick and perfect, and his mind bloomed with the knowledge he'd reacquired so recently, knowledge of how tight she would grip his cock, how those muscles clenched when she came. Later, first, he wanted to hear her moan his name with all his faculties intact. He'd waited long enough!

Curling his fingers, he explored the wall of her sheath as he sucked lightly on her nub, resisting the urge to smile as he felt her fingers plunge into his hair and her nails scrape into this scalp. Ah, there, a shift in density, that hard little patch of flesh. He let loose the tiniest spark of electricity, barely enough to light a match, but she convulsed, her hips arching into his face as she screamed, "Niko! God in heaven!"

Oh yes, he'd reached the status of deity. Very very nice. His cock painful and throbbing against the bed sheets, he lapped up the juices that spilled from her, soaking her thighs and his chin, and let her boneless weight fall back to the bed. He kissed his way over the curve of her stomach and pressed a soft peck against each of her ribs until he was at her breast, this time sucking on the nipple he'd previously neglected. His cock brushed her thigh and she moved under him, rubbing the head with the soft skin of her inner thigh. "Please, Nikola. Please…."

He couldn't deny her, and he rose up on his elbows, hovering over her and looking down in her glazed eyes as they swirled between beautiful blue and breathtaking black. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pushing her own hips closer to his cock, completely ready to be taken.

"I love you, Helen."

Her eyes widened and she smiled, wide and uncompromising. "I love you too. Now please, will you get on with it before I go ruddy insane?"

He entered her in mid-laugh, his cock thrusting into her body as joy bubbled in his soul. Her laughter rang out as well as her arms came to lock around his back, her nails scratching at his skin as he set a slow, determined rhythm. He couldn't stop watching her face, keeping his eyes wide open to watch as her face bloomed with color, her cheeks pink, her eyes wide and pupils dilated. She let out the softest squeaks and moans, like she couldn't quite believe the pleasure they shared, and he loved every sound. It let him read her perfectly, told him how to angle his hips, told him faster or slower or harder without her having to say the words. Her nails grew sharper, her eyes blacker and he felt his own need begin to fight his intentions. He wanted to come, he wanted to spend his seed inside her and sink his teeth into his mark at her throat, but more than anything he wanted to show her he loved her, prove it more as a man than as a beast.

Her nails tore red ribbons into his back and her legs tightened so hard around his hips that bones would have been broken. She was panting hard, her quim tightening around with each stroke, so that it was almost impossible to resist his impending climax. He leaned down to kiss her and she bit his lip with newly sharp teeth, making his eyes go black and his teeth become lethal.

He drew back, afraid of what he might do, but she grinned at him, her teeth glinting even in the dim light.

"I don't just love the man in you Nikola," she pulled him down to her, bringing him too close to that tempting neck. She nipped his earlobe and whispered in his ear. "I love the monster too."

The world went a bit red around the edges as his sank his teeth into his mark with a groan. She moaned loud enough to make his ears ring and her walls contracted around him like a vise, making it impossible for him not to come with a white hot fire. Her blood was as sweet as his memory of it, the flavor of her pleasure richer than the finest burgundy he'd ever tasted, and he'd give up wine completely if he could only feast on her every day of his very long life. Electricity flickered over their skin, he couldn't hold it back any more. "Dusho moja, lbujavi, moja angelu," he muttered in Serbian, words of endearment lost in time, his mind misplaced in a haze of bliss.

He returned to the world breathing hard, Helen pressing equally breathless kisses to his jaw, his neck, her mark. He made to roll away from her, to save her the burden of his weight, but she held him tight with her body, her legs still loosely wrapped around his thighs.

"Stay with me, Nikola."

"Forever, love."

80808080808

Everyone had had a decent night's sleep, and breakfast was a mostly civil affair. Henry and Kate kept smiling at each other, a phenomenon that was mildly interesting. The protégé tried to engage him in conversation, and Nikola found himself telling a very silly story about a fight he'd observed in 1910 between Jung and Freud, in which Jung had called Freud a dirty old man, and half the salon had erupted into applause, including Nikola Tesla. William, he really should call the boy William, snorted in laughter as well, and even Big Foot chuckled under his breath.

He sipped his glass of wine, and Helen drank her tea, but under the table they held hands like mere children. He loved it.

Henry finally asked the question that had been silent tension in the room. "So, Doc, are you really a vampire now? Do you feel any different?"

Helen smiled at Henry, "Surprisingly, other than slightly heightened senses, I don't feel terribly different. I don't have any particularly intense craving for blood, if that is what you are asking." Her eyes were hot on his profile, and he returned her gaze, knowing that her craving for him was high, no matter what she said to the others. "I think perhaps the Source Blood has long prepared me for such an occurrence. I consider it an advantage rather than a difficulty."

She speared a piece of peach from the fruit bowl on her plate and placed it in her mouth, stopping any further conversation from her part, but the way she relished that piece of fruit made Nikola wish he could steal her away to a bed again, no matter how long they'd been up the night previously making new memories.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his trousers distinctly uncomfortable.

"So, when the current crisis is over, you guys getting officially hitched?" Kate asked, a spoonful of corn flakes poised in front of her, dripping milk. She took her bite and Nikola turned his head to see Helen's reaction.

"Hitched?" Helen had a teasing hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.

Kate swallowed. "You know, shackled, tied down, married. White dress, boring music, dry cake and cheap champagne. Although I doubt Vlad would let you have bad champagne at the shindig."

Nikola laughed heartily, squeezing Helen's hand under the table. "What do you think, my dear? I was never one for parties, but I could make an exception. Will you marry me, love of my life? Again?"

Helen grinned wryly. "I suppose I could indulge you in that, my dear. I suggest we make an effort to save the world again, and then discuss weddings."

"Just, no bridesmaid dress, ok? Or at least not in puce." Kate shuddered, apparently at a bad memory. "How about a nice blue. I look good in blue."

"I shall take the matter under serious consideration, Kate. Until then, I'm heading to my office to finish all the paperwork and look at the latest reports of unusual activity from underground." She stood, not relinquishing Nikola's hand, and not missing a beat, he stood as well. Together they escaped the dining room, but just outside Nikola pinned her to a wall, pressing a kiss against her neck and breathing in her scent.

"Can we christen the couch in your office, Helen. I've always wanted to seduce you there, just so that each time you sit there you would have fond memories."

Helen made a sound halfway between a laugh and a sigh. "If you agree to be the one to inform John when we are going to be married, you can bloody well seduce me on the roof among the pigeons."

He clunked his forehead against the wall next to her head. "Oh, he's going to try to kill me again, isn't he?"

"It's a good thing we're both vampires now. It helps with endurance." She pressed a kiss to his neck and wrapped her arms about his waist.

"At least we can have fun testing that endurance." He pulled away from her, taking her hand and leading her in the direction of her bedroom, not her office.

She pulled toward her office, and she won. But then again, the couch turned out to have excellent endurance as well.


End file.
